Bone resorbing activity of purified capsular material from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

Abstract

Capsular material (CM) from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was extracted with saline and purified by gel filtration and ionexchange chromatography. Preliminary chemical analysis of the purified material indicated that it may be a glycoprotein. The CM was found to be a potent mediator of bone resorption, active at concentrations one thousand‐fold lower than lipopolysaccharide from the same organism, and its action was inhibited by indomethacin. CM must therefore be considered an additional potential mediator of bone resorption in periodontal disease.